Norman Mineta

Mineta was born in San Jose, California. During World War II he was detained in an internment camp along with hundreds of other Asian Americans of Japanese descent.

His political career began in 1971 when he was elected mayor of San Jose. From 1975 to 1995 he sat in the United States House of Representatives. After a break, he was appointed in 2000 as the United States Secretary of Commerce, making him the first Asian-American to hold a post in the presidential cabinet.

He was appointed United States Secretary of Transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001, a post he was originally offered eight years previously by Bill Clinton. He is currently the only Democrat in Bush's cabinet.

See also: Japanese American